Tiger & Bunny. And Not of the Plushie Kind. · 5:51pm Aug 14th, 2013
Over the last few years, I've been distancing myself from anime in general. And don't think I was a casual fan; no, I was a full on Otaku 24/7. That guy who kept talking about tis or that anime, they guy who wouldn't shut up about Naruto, the guy who kept trying to talk in japanese phrases. I was that guy.
So, what made me change my ways? well first of all, I grew tired of it just like a grew tired of Olives, let me explain:
When I was a little kid a was obsessed with Olives, and one day I ate an entire jar (it wasn't too big really) of Olives on my own. Obviously I got sick, and now I can't stand Olives, I can't put them on my mouth, their smell alone put me off. (I think there is a similar story here about AJ and apples) The same thing happened with anime and Manga.
I grew tired of the stock characters, cliches and anime troopes. Everyday it was harder and harder to be excited about new episodes or new anime because every one was one and the same.
I'm not saying I hate anime and Manga now, I still like the past shows I enjoyed. School Rumble is still my favorite anime of all time! (sometime later I do a blog about it)
Now, what occupies my time instead of anime? Well, super hero comics. Yeah, I traded manga for comic books. It wasn't a difficult process, I always loved shows Like Batman ans superman animated series, the X-Men cartoon and 90's Spiderman (though it hasn't aged well).
And I traded Anime for Cartoons and animated series, like South Park, Dan Vs. , My Little Pony, etc.
So instead instead of an Otaku, I became a Geek. (yeah big difference -_-¡)
And that brings me to Tiger & Bunny. The last Anime I watched in its entirety.
First a look at the opening so you can have some mental image of what I', talking about. (Personally I prefere the 2nd OP better, but that conatin a small spoiler)
So as you can tell, It is a Super Hero Anime.
I could talk hours about Tiger & Bunny but that would lead to spoliers territory so I'll be as brief as possible.
The series takes place in a fictional place named Sternbild City, re-imagining of New York City. Almost fifty years before the start of the series, people with "superpowers" began appearing in the world, the would later be known as NEXT. So as you can imagine, super heroes began appearing, but there is a twist.
Heores in this world/alternate earth aren't vigilantes but TV celebrities who are sponsered by big companies to fight crime. That's why you see logos like Pepsi in their uniforms. The Heroes activities are brocasted live for everyone to see and for each accomplishment (arrests, save civilians in danger, etc) grants them points, and by the end of the "season" the one who has the most points becomes "The King of Heroes"
WAIT! WAIT! It is nothing like One Piece! Don't worry.
That is just the setting, not the entirety of the plot or the story. The story focuses on our protagonist Kotetsu T. Kaburagi, a veteran hero known as "White Tiger" who is past his prime, but can't quit being a hero not for the fame but because it is the right thing to do.
He is assigned a parter who is basically a younger, more agile version of him, cause he had the same power as Kotetsu. The ability to increase his physical abilities hundredfold for five minutes at a time. But his partner Barnaby Brooks Jr. is the polar oposite of him. he doesn't care for heroism, only to satisfy his employers and gain lots of points. The series is akin to a budy cop film, were the two protagonists dislike each other but as the series progresses they end up as friends.
Now the series focuses on Tiger's and Barnaby's partership and the contest. but the plot is heavily about Barnaby trying to solve a mystery. I'm not going to say more because that would be treading into spoilers territory.
Of course there are episode focused on developing the other heroes who are the secondary characters of the series. And though they fall into padding category of episodes, they are still fun to watch.
The only fault (for me ) that the series has, but I still found it as a strength and a ingenious move, is the portrail of Tiger and Barnaby budding freindship.
As with any other anime with male protagnist that dislike each other and gradually become friends, especially if one is a pretty boy; the fangirls and some fanboys would always find a way to ship them. An the writers and directors knew this. So to gain more popularity they make Tiger and Barnaby freindship seem a little easy to misunderstand.
Don't get me wrong, this isn't a yaoi series or even a shonen-ai one. Both Tiger and Barnaby are straight, Tiger been a a widower and a single father. But the director or the wtiters ( I don't know) usually put them in scenes with dialogues that are very easy to misunderstand. Heck put the theme song of Bokeback mountain over many of their scenes together and the context becomes one of an entire different genre.
Still I found the move very clever. If you know what kind of fanbase you can gather, why not tease them with those kind of scenes? It doesn't make them officially or canon, but it gives the fans some kind of "service" (fanservice) without pandering to them. They enjoy the series and promote it. It was very smart move from them.
Speaking of promoting. The idea of using real companies as sponsors inside the show was also a genius move. You promote companies that pay you real money and they can support the show and have some decent budget. I know some people hate that kind of advertisement and find it distracting, and I can see where they come from and somewhat agree. But, in this serties, when it come down to the fight scenes and the fairly decent mystery, you don't notice the ad's and focus more in the action.
So in short, Tiger & Bunny is a great show. Even for a guy who distance himself from anime nowadays. And if you're asking why am I talking about a series from 2011, well...I like T&B that much. Also a movie recently came out. Tiger&Bunny The Movie: The Beggining. It is a retelling of the first two episodes with an added story of a roberry. It is great for those who are interested, but I still prefer you to watch the show.
The show can be found online with subs or dubbed. I watched both and I have to say the dub does a terrific job, in fact I kinda like it better than the japanese dub. This coming from the guy whose first language is Spanish and was a massive Otaku.
So check it out! And if you enjoy it please support the official release and buy the series.
Morex25 out!
Ps. What do you guys think about these blogs I have been making? Do you like them? Hate them? Want to see more? Want me to stop? Please tell me.
I know they aren´t MLP related but hey! we Bronies and Pegasisters have other kinds of things to talk about! So please leave a comment below.
I'm an Otaku too. A big 24/7 kind as well.
1284890
Did you read the entire thing yet?
Also I don't know what anime that clip is from.
1284895 Shakugan no Shana
Also no. Not yet.
OK ready it all now, and really?
1284907
Really what? That I recommed it? Sure!
1284951
That!
Also, did you choose this anime right now because a Tiger and Bunny movie has just come at dubbed?
1284962
Yes, I saw that the movie came out dubbed and I thought it was a great chance to share my thought about the show.
About the quote, yes... all of that is just subtext, never does it become real romance, it is more like Bro-mance.
And the bit with the Brokeback mountain theme song, was a joke referencing what Bennet The Sage did in one of his episodes of Anime Abandon.
1284982 Never heard of him (and personally, not that funny)
1284962
1284992
It was just a small joke.
But still T & B is a great show, you should check it out!
1285028 I will remember that, but there is still a number of other anime that I am checking out first
1285031
Say! what do you think about these blogs I been making? like them? hate them? Should I make more?
1285036 Like them! More please, especially if they're about anime.
I really do like these recommendation blog posts, I don't watch anime myself (okay that was a lie, i watch the newest episode of One Piece when it comes on every saturday, but only because its actually funny and doesn't take itself uber serious all the time like some animes I've seen
TL;DR I like the blogs, just not anime
1285419
Thanks man.